Aside from the "connection" vs. "control" distinction, there is also a distinction between PUAs who are seeking what is essentially self-help, and those who aren't. The PUA concept that best illustrates this is "inner game." Inner game is, essentially, genuine confidence and sense of purpose. It contrasts with "outer game" -- 1.e., the things a PUA says and does to attract women. A "neg" would count as "outer game," for example. Most successful PUAs reach a point where they decide that, in the words of one coach: emotionless "sport-fucking kinda sucks." (Some PUAs start at this point, but that is a bit unusual.) They conclude that it's time to pull back from the game; to seek longer-term or more emotionally connected sex; to examine their priorities; and to discover interests aside from picking up new girls. Finding themselves in this way can be described as "inner game." The men who discuss inner game often talk about developing their own businesses, exercising regularly, keeping a healthier diet, accepting their own vulnerabilities, pursuing hobbies, and improving their connections with people of all genders. Most PUAs also realize that women respond well to genuine confidence and sense of purpose. This could be seen as ironic: notwithstanding the fact that "inner game" emphasizes self-improvement, the concept is still centered on seducing women. However, despite the fact that "inner game" is centered on gaming ladies, its ultimate result is usually to encourage PUAs to think about what they really want from life. PUA coach Mark Manson once wrote that, "You don't end up in the Pick Up Artist community unless you are incredibly unhappy or unsatisfied about something. It may be conscious, it may be unconscious. It may be short-term, or it may be deep-seated and long-term." He later wrote to me by email that: "This is a giant self-help community in disguise." I also once interviewed Neil Strauss himself, who said he hoped that his famous book The Game could become "t